A Few Videos that I like today.

Wednesday already

Well I thought to start the day off right I would add some Videos that I personally like.
Below is the Race Of Gentlemen, I think it may change to Race of Gentle Folk as lots of Girls are getting into this and I applaud that.

Below is a video from New Zealand, plent of mates over there are into the same as I, so thought I would show you this and yes, like back home, Right Hand drive.

Next up is back home a few years ago at the Ace Cafe with Mark Wilsmore.

Below is a day with the froggies, these guys know how to put on a show, check it out.

Have a Great Wednesday and hope this puts you in a great frame of mind to get you through the next few hours.

Peace & grease As Always.

RPM HOT ROD NATIONALS OCTOBER 28th Santa Margarita Ranch

For those of you like me that are into many Vintage things, well, this is a great event to head to, I wont have my Model A  Roadster Completed for this but will be for next year but am still driving up there with Jennifer to watch the 1/8th miles Nostalgic races as the countryside is amazing there and will be riding our Triumphs around that area, so what better weekend away than to explore Santa Margarita  ranch and watch the 4 Bangers and Flatheads on the old Tarmac.

Hope to see you there.

 

RPM Nationals is a race that pays homage to the early days of drag racing. When race cars and street cars competed head to head to see whose garage built hop up was the fastest. The races then started with the drop of a flag and end 1/8 of a mile down the strip.

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We will have 3 brackets competing head to head including v8s, 4 Bangers and full race.

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 Where?

Santa Margarita Ranch 

9000 Yerba Buena Ave

Santa Margarita, CA 93453

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EVENT DETAILS

RPM Nationals Takes place on October 28th 2017 at Santa margarita ranch in Santa Margarita California. Enter the ranch off of Yerba Buena. Gates open at 9am and racing starts shortly there after. racing continues throughout the day with the finals in each bracket concluding by 6pm. There will be music, vendors selling food, clothing and aftermarket speed parts. We will also be doing a swap meet section reserved for vendors selling period correct, rpm nationals applicable hot rod parts. If you are interested in being a vendor or swap meet vendor email rpmnationals@gmail.com for more info

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There will be absolutely no outside alcohol allowed at the event and cars will be checked upon arrival. There is also no BBqing/open flames or smoking due to wildfire risk. Please respect the ranch and clean up after yourself. Inappropriate behavior will be followed up by immediate removal from the premises.

 

Race Car Requirements

RPM Nationals is limited to ford Flathead and 4 Cylinder cars. Body Years are limited to  1936 and earlier . All Cars must represent an early 1950s Hot rod style or prior. Things like radials, billet, etc… will not be allowed. All racers must apply prior to registration for approval to race. rpm nationals has the final say in all race cars approval. Racers must wear and provide their own helmets.

Classes– There will be 3 race classes… 4 Cylinder Street Cars, V8 street cars and full race class. Cars with Power adders such as Blowers and overhead conversions will be considered full Race.

All cars must pass a technical inspection to ensure its safety and are required to run hub retainers, dual throttle return springs, seat belts, water overflow catch and must run water; no coolant allowed. Cars must in good general condition; tech has the final say on all race cars.

All applicants must email rpmnationals@gmail.com by September 22nd 2017 for approval. Please provide a spec sheet outlining all major components and photos of the cars front, back, both sides, engine and drivers compartment.

we will notify all Applicants by the 29th of September. Upon approval racers must sign and return their release form along with payment of $70 no later than October 10th.

 

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RPM Nat’s Car Show

we will also be having a large car show at RPM Nationals. The car show is open to all hot rods and customs model year 1960 or before. . the cost to bring a car to show is just $25, the cost of general admission. we will be picking best hot rod and best custom and a number of clubs will be picking their favorites and providing trophies.

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VENDORS

There will be a sizable location at the RPM Nationals race for vendors selling food, new aftermarket hot rod parts and accessories, clothing, collectibles and other products. We can accommodate booths ranging in size from 10 feet x 10 feet and up depending on the vendors needs. All vendors are required to have their own event insurance coverage. Email rpmnationals@gmail.com if you are interested in being a vendor.

SWAP MEET

Clean out those garages! The swap meet area is reserved for people selling used early ford parts and speed parts only. no selling of new products or parts allowed in the swap meet area. Swapmeet spaces are $40 per car/truck load and an additional $20 for trailers. This fee includes one admission ticket. Email RPMnationals@gmail.com if you are interested in reserving a Swapmeet space.

For more information Email:  rpmnationals@gmail.com

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Anaheim Loses Custom Car Guru Stan Betz

Anaheim Loses Custom Car Guru Stan Betz

 

Legendary hot rodder and custom car builder, Stan Betz from Class of ’46, passed away today (Sept. 28). An AHS Hall of Famer, Stan had recently celebrated his 90th birthday.

Betz, who lost his right leg below the knee to polio at age 3, grew up  on a 10-acre orange ranch on Lemon Street in Anaheim.

Stan Betz holds a miniature roadster from the 1950 film, To Please a Lady. His collection of around 60 classic movie miniatures was featured on an episode of "Visiting With Huell Howser."
Stan Betz holds a miniature roadster from the 1950 film, To Please a Lady. His collection of around 60 classic movie miniatures was featured on an episode of “Visiting With Huell Howser.”

But Betz wasn’t interested in ranching or learning his father’s skill as a hybridizer of orange trees and other fruit bearing plants.

What really caught his attention, and kept his interest for the rest of his life, was cars. And he had a great role model to encourage him.

Stan Betz, 86, sits behind the wheel of his custom-built, Model 34 Ford hot rod.
Stan Betz, 86, sits behind the wheel of his custom-built, Model 34 Ford hot rod.

His uncle Dick Kraft, one of the original hot rodders, was known for his many innovations, which included building and driving the first rail job called “The Bug.” A clone of “The Bug” is on display in the National Hot Rod Association Museum in Pomona. Kraft’s other custom-built cars are highly collectible.

Like his uncle, Stan’s cars have become famous in the automotive world and are shining examples of his legendary skills as a master car builder and painter.

His journey to becoming the center of the 1950s rod and custom culture, as well as a businessman who figured out a way to make money at doing something he loved, included a stop at Anaheim High School.

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A 1946 grad, Betz confesses to having spent most of days at Anaheim High in the machine shop working on hot rods. He owned a Model-A roadster with a V-8 engine that was shoe-horned in during welding shop. Three years later he built a track T that he raced on local outlaw tracks when he wasn’t working the night shift at a gas station.

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Back in the ‘50s, when hot rodding and car clubs were in high gear, Stan’s shop (a single car garage he rented for five bucks a month located in the alley behind the police station) was the meeting spot for The Street Sweepers, a car club he founded, named and sponsored.

Along with holding their meetings, the Sweepers would punch louvers, which are vents located in strategic positions on a car’s body to allow hot air to escape. Betz and his team were stamping louvers in hot rods, racecar hoods, deck lids, fenders, or anything a custom-car owner wanted punched. Guys came from miles around to get ventilated.

Stan Betz displays a neon clock from his business, Betz Speed and Color. He sold the paint shop to Sherwin Williams in 1993.
Stan Betz displays a neon clock from his business, Betz Speed and Color. He sold the paint shop to Sherwin Williams in 1993.

When not at Betz’s shop, the Sweepers would hang out at the 76 Station at the corner of Palm (Harbor) and Center (Lincoln) or at the Bean Hut, a.k.a the La Palma Drive-In. The Sweepers gave this iconic hangout the nickname “Bean Hut” and the drive-in became the favorite of car clubs throughout Orange County and beyond.

Back in the 1950s Stan drove a 1932 Sedan with a “hot flat head” that he finished in bright yellow. He also owned a ’51 Ford pick-up with Von Dutch flames, a cut down hood and “big and little” tires.

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His love affair with the automobile continued throughout the decades when members of the Street Sweepers traded in their custom rides for college degrees and lives in the slow lane. Stan stayed in the trade and created automotive masterpieces.

When the louver business slowed down, Betz added paint products to his enterprise, which became Betz Speed and Color. His shop became known as the best place to find the exact color, especially for customers who wanted to match an existing stock or custom paint color.

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Featured in countless magazine and newspaper articles, Betz has also been included in “Hot Rod History – Book Two: The Glory Years” by Tom Medley. Chapter Two is dedicated to Betz, “one of the best paint mixers around. Betz works in the sun and can match paint to an exactness that defies even the computers.”

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One of his award-winning vehicles was a roadster he named “2032,” a completely custom-crafted candy raspberry red highboy pickup with Lincoln Mark VIII running gear.

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Along with cars, Stan had a unique collection of MGM movie miniature cars, boats, trains and other vehicles that Hollywood filmed being driven over cliffs, crushed, crashed and blown up in thousands of movies. The 100-piece collection was featured in an early episode of “Visiting with Huell Howser.”

15th Ventura Nationals 2017

Well, here we are once again, where did the year go? So this morning, Jennifer and I jumped in the car and we headed out to this great event that I have been attending for so many years now.

I took a ton of photos whilst i was at this show, people ask me about the shows I attend and what is featured there, so, here is a Looooong blog but wanted to show you all the great stuff that was at this years 2017 Ventura Nationals show and Boy was it a great one.

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Jennifer got us there pretty quick and thats good as it will be about 105 here in La Mirada so as Ventura is right on the water it should be in the high 80’s and a refreshing change for the heatwave we have right now back home.

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So, we pull into the parking lot and walk into the show, always a good mixture of Kustom, Hot Rod and low rider material to drool over and we were not disappointed at all really is a great show.

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There are always New rides to check out and as this is on a big area, you can still get to take a photo of them with loads of people around, it was Hot Here but not like back home and enjoyed the whole time there as you could see the cars, hear the bands and look at what the vendors were offering.

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Above, just look at that Caddy, that thing has been slammed harder than a weak opponent on the WWE Cage fight, loved it and a cool color that I usually see on Jeeps, worked so well, loved all the over riders as teeth in the grill sections, shaved door handles, Skirted and in the weeds, this was a righteous machine.

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OMG, just check out this 5 window from Henry F- I mean thats the F word right there, Cleaner than Mr Sheen’s bathroom and just pure class this Hot Rod almost took my breath away as it is so bang on, wickedly cool, just take a look at the body, straighter than a Roman Road.

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Above, this Flathead is such a work of art, I have a Flatty but not to this standard, if I had a hat on mate, I would take it off to you and bow very humbly. Barney Navarro heads and a Thickston high Rode with Two 97’s perched on top and the longest velocity Stacks I have ever clapped my eyes upon.

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I really loved the Color of this GMC Stepside, complete with vintage Beach cruiser in the back , this truck was well put together loved the paint color too, a hard one to pull off at times.

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Like I said, this is a great event and something for everybody in the Kustom and Hot Rod fraternity, it was a really nice day, Hot yes but it always is this time of year and having a couple of indoor buildings was good too so you could cool off and still check out cars and vendors etc.

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Blown away with this, Westergard would be proud of this Custom Coupe, More work than you would even apprehend and it sure was a head turner, Brilliant job mate, well done.

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Ford and Chevy hanging out under the Sun, there is so much to see here and if you have never been before, its worth the drive up along the 101 by the Surf to get to this venue by the Sea.

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1958 Ranchero was sitting nice and low, dont see too many of these around any more and was stoked to happen upon this as we walked around at the show grounds.

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Then a few feet over from that 58 is this awesome 1957 Ranchero, jeez it was nice pure Kustom with Tube Grille, Tuck n Roll inner fenders, Lakes Pipes, Fender skirts and Appletons, very cool indeed.

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This 1954 Ford Lincoln 2 door Coupe has all the Markings of a great Kustom, look at that front Bumper set up, Sombrero’s and fender skirts and shaved handles is just a nice clean style, cant wait to see what color scheme he goes for next time I see it at a show.

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Check out this Leopard print interior on the 58 Impala, thats Old School for sure, I have always liked the 58 impala and this was no exception, even as a 4 door it was wickedly cool.

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I would of loved to have driven this Pontiac Safari home, Chevy stole the rear of the rood ribbed design for their Nomad and this is a rare find these days, what a cruiser and so much room with all them bench seats it has as stock.

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How can you not stop and look at a Gasser, these are so tough and a Fairlaine too, Straight axle, 10 degree rake on the motor, 5 spokes and plexi with dump tubes, Groooowlll!!!

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As long and heavy as a battleship, this Caddy was slammed and not because it had 2 Vintage push bikes on the roof, such a huge car and always love seeing these Detroit Rectangles.

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I have never been a fan of Studebaker Automobiles, but 1948-1955 Pick ups, Hell yes, they have a Custom look right out of the factory with their soft curves and this is a great example for a parts getter.

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Hudsons never get a good wrap but I like them, a poor mans mercury they say but I would take one any day of the week, just look at that, they drive so smoothly too.

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Loved this 29 on deuce rails, has all the stance right and this is a quick Mill too, I never tire of looking at Hot Rods ever!!! 16 inch steelies on Blackwalls and a deuce Grill, Killer.

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This little 30 Model A was Neat, simple and I am sure they have such a Ball in this Roadster, as I know i would do too. Yeah i would change a few things like tires and stuff but each to their own and have fun my friend.

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How can you not have a tri Five in here, I had one even in the UK and have always loved the Bow ties and this one os such a superb Platform for somebody to turn into what ever they wish .

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How can you not show a Big Tin Lincoln anyway, I mean, these were Custom right out of the factory, one of my dream cars as a kid as they were so huge and low.

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See what I mean, how cool is this? I would drive this until the Pontiac hub caps fell off, love all of its 22 feet.

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Now this is one Long bed for sure, diggin the fake patina and that seemed to be a common look this year to be honest but its a good trend and a great truck, next photo is the Aluminum work.

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That’s some cool work there, I think Fast Eddie from orange did this set up and it really is a nice touch with all the aircraft styled riveting. What do you lot think?

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Forgive me for adding a lot of Hot Rods but I love seeing them and especially Roadsters as I have one myself and this was a clean machine and wanted to share it on this page too.

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Paint work was bloody awesome, so much work with masking up etc, must of taken many hours to get all these colors and detail in and when the Sun caught it right it was quite mesmerizing.

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This 51 Rag Top had so many Custom tricks, a real nice, clean and great example of American ingenuity for making something stock look so cool and stylish, I wonder what the Ford  design team thought when he saw one of these when people like Hiroherta came out driving these as a daily car back then.

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This 28/29 Roadster was really nicely finished, sat ontop of 1932 Rails and running Black Steelies on Firestone 16 inch Tires, this was a tight build, even has a nice Hallock/ Duvall windshield to add to the flow of this great Hot Rod, Hair pins looked pretty good in Black and SBC with tri power must of made this buzz along the freeway with ease.

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I would love this Step-side as a Parts Getter too, so many cool cars either as an everyday beater or a show winning ride was featured here at Ventura and you have to try and make a show as there is not many like this with a fun atmosphere too anywhere these days, loved it all.

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How about this parked right next to the other pick up, I would love either of them, cool patina and when you think back, All the farmers had these in California and all over the states, they worked them hard and so nice to still see them around especially with the quarter windows too.

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Jeez, almost get a nose bleed from sitting this high, this Plymouth Savoy is a rare sight as a Full on Gasser, spindle mount Magnesium rims, straight axle and Mickey T rear tires gibes this machine a total look of 60’s Nostalgia drags.

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I am certain that I saw this on the Salt flats a couple of weeks ago, now sitting proudly amongst the other rides but this was a hard core drive as i saw this all over Bonneville at Speed week and loved this roadster, not many that can be around with twin intakes in the hood like that right?

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This was the ride I saw on the Lake bed in Utah as it has the 40 Ford dash, wicked machine that I will never tire of looking at and wouldnt change anything on it just enjoy the ride in a real Nostalgic machine.

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Now there is a traditional Hot rod, check out the Aircraft syle shocks, the Early headlights of a Truck, Fireball caps on 16 inch steelies with tractor Firestome tires, looks like he got all the salt off it.

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Now this is taking shape and great to see a slightly different twist to a Custom, Caddy thin tail lights blend in quite well, sits really well and look forward to seeing this ride completed at some point.

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Gearheads Roadster Pick up was in the weeds too, dago front axle is a nice touch and Juice brakes all around. Baby Blue seems a popular color this year as well.

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Way cool, low and love that Ford Burgandy Factory Paint color, Tube grill and nice roof chop with big rear fender skirts makes this Nosed and decked Kustom stand out.

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Nosed, decked, shaved, frenched, lake pipes, Starburst caps, Floating grille, Foxcraft Skirts made this a head turner as well, so much detail, loved it all the way to the rear end.

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It’s like Kustoms of America show, so many Nostalgic builds on show this year and really cool to see, like I said, something for everyone at Ventura show and glad we attended thats for sure.

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Flatty Powered Closed Cab pick up was neat, not sure how it stayed cool with them radiator pipes but it was a neat touch none the less, section deuce grill was a nice touch as well.

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A little bit of work gone on here on this 21 stud, early offenhauser, even has a Dizzy on it, complete with two 97’s and finned alloy Air filter covers.

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Super neat little Modified was sat in the parking area, enjoying the Sea breeze as it wafted across from the beach a few hundred yards away. This was a nicely built rig, loved seeing it here.

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How about this, the big guns were out, chopped Olds 4 door looked really tough as it sat on the concrete, whilst above a Falcon Panel sat on an early flatbed, that looked great as well.

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Yup, even some love from the Low Riders were there and all as clean as their Grand ma’s Kitchen too, so many hours go into these machines and a good turn out too here at the show.

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The paint on these are faultless, so many hours of color sanding and buffing alone, but so cool to see the Low Riders represented here and a few more photos coming up for you to look at.

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As we wondered around the show grounds, I took photos of what I personally liked and hope that you enjoy these too as the quality was so good, its hard to show and appreciate sometimes in a photo but you can see how tidy the paint and Bright Work is on these jumping Machines.

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Out side one of the Halls were these 2 Roadsters, very cool concepts and I am sure these are a real blast to drive around this weekend, its Roadster weather and by the beach, what could be better?

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Just past them trees is the beach and a pleasant Breeze wafted in from time to time and a lot cooler than back here in Orange county, we found that out when we got back.

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Look how clean this Rivera is, cleaner than it was from the Factory and many people enjoyed the Low riders here and I was one of them, these are all big wide machines too, love it all.

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Loved this Galaxie 500, low and sleek with chrome 5 spokes and subtle scalloping, this Candy Aztec Cold paint really popped when the sun hit it, custom interior was Tuck n Roll and of course, what cruiser is not complete without a set of Bellflower tips?

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Nose to tail, many different styles and Models make this show a hit for everybody, there is so much to see and there is no way you cannot enjoy yourself at this fantastic event in Ventura.

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1929 Banger here very 60’s style with drilled and chromed front I Beam, reverse steelies deuce grill shell, TJ tuck N Roll and a Naugahyde white top with chrome Hairpins was sitting pretty.

Below: This little Boat tailed Modified looked fun to drive, running a 4 carbs set up, this was no slow poke thats for certain, schroder steering and Dago front end on Red steelies was way cool.

 

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So much work went into this and I am sure nobody noticed half of the cool work and engineering that was finished to complete this Low Channeled Roadster. I really dug it and would drive that.

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Reminds me of the old Mana – Free intakes of the day, frog mouth velocity stakes suck in more air than a breaching whale, Boat style windshield sets the styling of low and sleek but not meek.

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Sometimes thinking out of the box pays off, this Roadster certainly did and Id would of loved to have taken this on the dry lakes to see what it would do as it screams SCTA back in the day.

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Hard to imagine how many masking hours and rubbing down on this Buick Low Rider, painstakingly crafted over many a night in the garage I am sure, so many vibrant colors too.

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Look how tight the Bumper is, a very straight ride with more colors than some of the Hawaiian shirts I saw people wearing this weekend.

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Nostalgia all the way with this car club, and driving up or down the freeway to get to the show must of turned many a head when the public clapped eyes on these Low Riders, awesome job.

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Loved this 48 Stepside Chevy Pick up, sat in the weeks, Chrome reverse steelies and big wide whites, the chrome was impeccable and would enjoy driving this truck around every day.

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This impala was another fine example of hard work and pleasure, the lines are so sleek and the paint was as smooth as butter milk, such a clean 2 door that needed more recognition to be honest. All the trim was clean and straight, I didn’t see any blemishes at all, well done mate.

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I will never ever tire of Caddys, I mean they are the quintessential American Automobile and this 58 2 door D Cup special was a machine I always wanted to have and drive, Darn straight too.

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I really do love Kustom built rides, as every creation is unique, never do you see exactly the same ride and the body mods are off the hook, love the gradient roof chop, the rear arches really flow as does the fender skirt and them Cadillac Bumpers really look tight, love to see the Custom grill when its done, Sombreros too, just a wicked ride that looks so right.

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Always something different to look at every show and this was, Candy plum and right in the weeds too, this mercury is probably the only one like this and deserves recognition of all that work.

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Check this Bow Tie pick up out, the Aztec Candy Gold really pops in the California Sun, just very cool and many people loved this truck and you can see why, everything was so nice on it.

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Brit mates Bev and Jay dean from Nostalgia ranch were representing in the building with 3 very cool rides, in the back ground a fully fendered Model A with a 4 banger, sat so right.

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Then this awesome AV8 that was built back in the day and in a few B movies too was locally found and now sits proudly on the Nostalgia Ranch’s display area, I loved this Roadster.

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Jay dean built this for a customer and it is a flawless machine, the paint was flawless and Camel Hump finned covers dress out the Gold Motor well, stunning job Jay. Really well built.

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Hubba Hubba, loved this Teal 3 window, the whole color scheme just worked so right, sat well and with that Hemi I am sure it wouldn’t hang about on the freeway.

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Stock A Bone sitting in somewhat cooler climate inside the show building but it was pretty humid in there, soon forgot about it when you see all the Hot Rods parked up on display though.

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So nice, So Nostalgic, So Cool, I would love this, its one of those period perfect machines that you simply just keep looking and looking at, loved everything about this Roadster.

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Looks great from any angle, the chopped and raked windshield gives it that late 1940’s look and Black on black makes this so stealthy steelies and dropped headlight bar really does set the scene. Looks like it stepped right out of HOP UP magazine.

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What a treat for me to see such period style Hot Rods, I have loved these as a teenager in England and I loved the style, color, and the stance of this Roadster really nice job, well done indeed.

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How can you not stop and look at this 53? I mean look how it sits, the chop? the Bumper? the paint, the rear end and Deep dish Sombrero’s, loved it all and so much work put into this ride.

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Quality work here on this 5 window Model A, very clean and 50’s styling hits the target by a bulls-eye, great look and color too. A lot of detail in this Coupe.

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How much fun would you have in this Flathead powered 1929 Roadster? I know I would, a great shop truck for sure, some awesome machines on display and so glad that we made the trip.

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I saw no information on this car but looks like a concept or Custom design from back in the day when features in HONK, Hop Up, Hot Rod and Rod & restyling were the dominant magazines.

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A lot of work, I think it may of been a 40 Convertable and then they went from there, so much work, would of liked some information on this build, if I find out I shall let everyone know on here.

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Another traditional Coupe, Unfendered and unchopped with Original Cal plates too, flatty powered with dual 97’s is a bit of California History for sure, wonder where this has been over the years?

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This looked to be a cut down coupe but sure had great lines to it and looks like the 24 stud Mill is dialed in, love to know a bit more about this ride too if any body knows, drop me a line.

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Who wouldn’t drive this Roadster around? My god it was so clean, fresh and just proportioned so well, fantastic creation that shows passion and creativity to its fullest Nice build you lot.

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Sorry for the blurry shot, too excited im afraid, but you would under stand if you came out to Ventura for this show as there is so much cool stuff to clap your eyes on here, Roll on 2018.

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The Color scheme worked out well on this, sits well and has a great rake to it, digging the lake style pipes and the long Stainless spear gives the body a really long flow, skirts were awesome.

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Yeah I have seen many Yellow coupes in the past but this really sat well on 16 inch Blackwalls and the Black 32 Grill set up was a great choice, Id love it and am sure you would too?

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So many great rides here, I would love to take ANY one of these back home to my place, I really did like the proportions of this 5 window and the Motor detailing really dig set this off from many.

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Right here, this was the Killer machine for me, look how sweet this Roadster is, I have always liked Blue, I built a flat Blue 29 roadster about 12 years ago, but this is right all over the place.

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Look at that, lovely eh? Belond headers, Canadian heads, Thickston high rise intake Manifold, Dual Carbs with whispering velocity stacks and check out that over flow tank too.

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Such a great Hot Rod, Crestliner steering wheel, 39 box with swan neck, Early Race gauges, Deco control switch panel was just something I could not stop looking at, so much was right on the money here.

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Sorry for the blurry photo, too excited I guess, what a wicked ride and would of loved to have seen this on the road as I bet it is a real fun jalopy to bimble about on the roads with.

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Another quality Channeled machine, right out of Rodders journal for me, awesome job on detail and loved the louvers in the hood and that dropped headlight bar sure is wicked, brilliant. I then realized it was a buddy of mines Roadster, Tom Branch from Pasadena, love the whole family and true Hot Rodders they go the whole 9 yards.

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Keith Weesner’s Roadster Many years ago, I was always amazed by this ride and loved seeing it at all the shows many years ago, it just had everything right about it and sat so well.

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Then unfortuantly a buddy of his was driving this to a show when someone hit him, hard- Sending Aaron into the air breaking his ribs and other injuries, the Roadster was in bad shape and so was aaron, but, pleased to say both repaired and to see this Roadster again after all this years, was almost a tear up moment.

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Well done Keith a brilliant machine and so stoked to see her back up and running again and looking a little more completed too, will always love this Hot Rod and this made my whole weekend seeing this Roadster.

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A superb job putting this all straight and getting this all back together, took time, patience, hard earned money and many many hours of labor but boy did it come out stunning, just real sweet.

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I looked out for Keith but he was busy running around being congratulated for sure to seeing his original Roadster now resurrected and back to be a driven Burbank Choppers Hot Rod.

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So, here it is all fixed and boy does it look a million dollars, I am truly stoked for your Keith and know that you smile every time you turn that key and hear that Flathead V8 fire back into life again.

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Saw this little 5 window Baking in the Sun in its Flat Black coat of paint, wasn’t until I looked at the photos I noticed it had a Cam shaft as a spreader bar, its all in the details eh?

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I didnt get as cool as a shot as I was hoping but this sure had a lot of work done and I had not seen this car before so had to take a shot, albeit it came out a little dark but nice to see.

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So many cars had flaked tops this year, great to see and people really have no idea on how hard it is to sand, mask and paint roofs, but loved looking at these on a sunny day here.

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From one flake ride to another that had the whole body sprayed with so much flake, I think it may of even reflected to the Sun and blinded it, this must of taken month to paint to this level.

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the devils in the Details and look how detailed and perfect this is, the lines across the hood to the fender line up just right, kudos to the painter and I hope a well deserved tip and crate of beer.

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More Low riders but this time in one of the halls that were located inside the fair grounds, a little more cooler but hell, the humidity was off the bloody hook in there.

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This Banana Painted 58 Impala was tricked out and had all the cool accessories of the day in it as well, you would not lose this in a parking lot thats for certain.

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How tough was this Merc? My mate Kevan Sledge builds wicked sleds like this and it reminded of my days hanging with the Shifters, this had a great look to it and I bet it looks great going down the highway as it just sat so nice on the ground.

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I have always loved Burgundy, mostly because the Fords had this color but it sure looks so fitting on this Bow tie, nice ride and has the old school accents of Appleton’s and Skirts to finish it off.

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I dig this Apache, I would just drive the 5 spokes off it as it right now, and still enough room for parts to throw in the bed, big strong Chevy Pick ups look great like this and the owner nailed it.

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What a colorful and cool line up of Rides here in one spot, so many great machines were parked all over the fair grounds and it was sweet to be able to get up so close and personal.

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Been a while since I have been to a show , where I have falling in love with so many rides, but there were so many cool builds this year and it was a thrill to be able to walk around and check them out this weekend, I really did have a great time checking everything out at Ventura.

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Blue skies, Palm trees, Great rides, cold beverages, and great music was the order of the day here and so much of it, this is no small show by any means and one of the friendliest too.

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Loved the work on this Pontiac, flows so well and the subtle antenna tunnel came out so well on the hood, I was very impressed with this car and was glad I took a photo to share with you lot.

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Little Flatty Powered Model T Roadster was sat here, Sun bathing in the Saturday sun, dont see too many T’s around these days and this look like a fun ride to Blap about in on weekends.

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Dont see too many wagons either, loved the pun on the Mothers name too. Probably the last time I clap my eyes on one of these as you really don’t seem them about on the roads any more.

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At least some of you lot found some shade to relax and kick back, we saw quite a few friends and was a great meeting place to just catch up on times gone by.

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So many great Pick Ups this year too, I loved this stepside with the little Monkey bike in the back, perfect set up for going to swap meets, this sat so well and was pretty darn straight too.

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Chevys and Palm tree’s, yup, we sure are in California and not a cloud in the sky, with a nice breeze from the Sea, made this show a big hit yet again, so many great Machines made the trip.

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There was also a few Barber shops on hand to give you a trim or a shave, and this 58 F150 looked really good sat in front of its Polished Airstream trailer that is turned into a Barber shop.

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There was plenty of customers and this was not the only barber shop here, such a fun place and a good Vibe by all, this made for a Brilliant event and hope you lot may make it next year?

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Check out this Little Bambi trailer, all decked out, get your hair cut or buy your Pomade, it was all good and friendly atmosphere, loved it all as I used to restore travel trailers in 2000.

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This one was another full on barber shop and business was good, I wish I had thought of this years ago when I restored these but great to see this being popular and thumbs up to everyone.

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That is one Happy Customer there sending love to me for taking the shot, These Airstreams are becoming quite popular and I hope to get one for the roadster one of these days.

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Support your barbers, its a great trade to have and what better way to get your Noggin freshened up than in one of these shiny time capsules, your head or beard will love you for it.

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Yep, this is the Ventura Nationals alright, cool Customs in California Sunshine by the beach.

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Wow, I took more photos than I thought, I have to stop for a while and rest my poor fingers from all this typing, but hope you have enjoyed at least some of the snaps I managed to take for you.

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Mind Blown, what a sweet ride, on the floor and is as smooth as a babies bum, loved the Gold Pearl and I am sure it was smooth to drive to Ventura as well, Love seeing all this in one place.

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Back side shot and so impressive to see, these really are true works of art, love the way they have laid the rear windshield back like Anthony Castaneda used to build, reminded me of that great guy.

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I see this truck a lot up by my warehouse in Norwalk, I think the fella is called danny and this must of been built 15-20 years ago and still going strong today, such a killer looking ride.

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The amount of cool rides this year was outstanding, the body work on these rides are so smooth, just many hours of sanding, filling, painting and of course sweating, trying to get the lines to flow.

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There were too many to have a favorite but I personally would of loved to have ANY one of these rides, look at this 53, I mean its so sweet, love the Stainless Trim and the tight bumper guard.

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Palm trees line the road into the show and Blue skies with a slight Sea Breeze was really welcomed, so much to see and a really cool Vibe with the Music going, food Cooking and people laughing, that stood out to me, as everyone was having a great time and enjoying this passion we have with old tin.

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Easy ups all over the place, people were all happy, and more than willing to chat about their ride etc, if you can get to this show out here in Ventura, you will really enjoy yourselves .

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You will be surprised as to how many vehicles are at this show, it winds itself around the 2 main Halls and spreads over the entire fairgrounds in all corners too, so much stuff to check out.

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The Big Guns sitting in the Grass look somewhat content to bask in the Sun, to the left was where Vendors were selling their wares and plenty to choose from and great to support them too.

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We spent quite some time walking about and taking in everything, met quite a few friends that I had not seen in a long time, thats another great thing about these shows, its an awesome place to chinwag with buddies from afar and see what they have been up too etc.

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Super nice Step Side that would make for one very cool Shop Truck- Parts Getter etc, I saw a lot of step sides this year, always great to see these work horses still on the tarmac.

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This Thunderbird reminded me of a Gene Winfield-Larry Watson styled Kustom, these cars are so comfortable to drive and it must of been such a nice Cruise on the way to the show in this.

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This was another head turner for me as so much work involved to get this ride to look as cool as it does now, I cant wait to see the Color scheme when all completed, thats a wowza!!!

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So many great Colors and wheel combinations, took this photo as we walked to the back part of the show, more tarmac there and even more vehicles to have a good look at and enjoy.

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Walked by Chevy Corner, Nice rides spread out all over the place and seemed like everybody was having a blast hanging out and meeting new friends in this part of the show grounds.

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Also a good thing about this event is some of these vehicles are for sale, and what better way to check a ride out to purchase than here, I saw many great machines available to buy.

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This was looking good and, by the color of the Dash , it could be painted a really deep Candy Purple and I am digging that,Love the tail lights, the rear trunck and Bumper set up on this.

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Come in Number 9, your time is up, this 5 window sits well and dorns an early 21 stud flatty for its mill, cool 50’s style Hot Rod thats was nice to see hanging out with everyone.

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Plenty of cool Fords to take a gander at as well, this hot day was getting hotter, but we nipped into the Hall to cool off and then came back out, the trick is to make sure you Hydrate here.

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Here is the Raffle Car, money goes towards the Children’s Project and a very worthy cause, I wonder who won this as it was stunning to see in its deep Blue paint, sweet ride for sure.

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To get this to have Suicide doors takes a lot of time and patience and this paid off big time, just look at the detail in this machine, although them Velocity stacks on that coupe is grabbing your eye too I am sure?

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Look from this side and even more great Custom Body work was achieved, so many hours in this car, I just had to stop for a bit and take it all in, Machete is a great title for the car.

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Take a look at this Roadster, thats sure is a sweet ride, sits well, awesome finish, show standard, but is that the owner? He is HUUGE!

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if you have a Dictionary by you, look up Bitching Kustom Coupe and I bet this ride pops up, what a wicked Kustom,whats not to like about this 5 window, even the color is right on the money.

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Just something about an Early Cadillac that turns my dial, the color also enhances its appeal too, how great would this be to cruise Route 66 and ride in pure style and comfort.

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This warrants another look but from the Arse end, look at those lines, the long swooping rear fenders to a small shark fin, the wrap around bumpers and huge trunk lid its just perfect for me.

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I love Blue Suede more than Carl Perkins and Elvis, and this owner does too, what a wicked low and sleek machine, this 2 door post looks like its a mile long, perfect roof chop too.

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More Teeth than Liberace, this Bow tie was Clean as a new washing machine, Desoto grills are a hard item to locate these days, nice to see a lot of traditional styling on the rides out there.

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Guys heading home and I am sure they had a really cool time at the Ventura Nationals, this is a fun place to come and visit, see if you lot can make it out here next year and say hello.

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Not too many Motorcycle this year but thats probably as Born Free was only on a few weeks earlier, but, what was on show here were really cool, check out the finned gas tank.

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This was the show stopper for me, what a wicked Trumpy, loved everything about this machine, reversed head is a nice touch and the dump tube exhaust is Killer.

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Another great Bobber, Triumphs really do make great Custom machines and this has a ton of work too, great to see these here and they got a lot of attention parked up here.

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Always dig these machines and hard to find these days, I wanted one of these as a kid but out of my price range back then and sweet to see here in Ventura with the other cool Motorcycles.

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This years show was superb, Jennifer even found some very cool Tropical flower head pieces at one booth.

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Check out some of the cool hand made flower accessories that this Booth makes and sells and all from California as well.  I took a few snaps just to show how very detailed these accessories were and worth the money, these are not easy to make.

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Below is some photos I took as this show is for everyone, so only fair that the Girls get a look at some of the stuff available at the Ventura nationals event.

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See how detailed they are, very Tropical and as Jennifer is Hawaiian, this really suits her and love to see ANY Polynesian art or crafts that has that 50’s styling and this was certainly it.

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The One above is the style Jennifer liked, so she bought that and I like the fact that these are hand made and really exotic, none of that cheap paper stuff from Taiwan.

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So next year, bring ya Girlie out as there were all sorts of things from clothes to bags to Sun Glasses, something for everyone and I know you would all enjoy the shows Vendors here.

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One of my best buddies and one of the first guys I met when I moved to these great shores in 2000, Patrick has always been cool and loves everyone, he was running the Splinter Nationals and a fun thing to get into, Love ya Pat.

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Cant go without seeing this Original Roadster thats been in a few movies back in the day, so cool to see this, what a wicked find this must of been to get it as the original Hot Rod.

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Would of loved to have heard this Roadster fire up, I have seen the movies and even had a few lobby cards of this Roadster back in the Uk in the early 1980’s, who’d of thought I would be seeing this in the flesh, such a bitchin machine and so glad we attended the show.

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So, we left the building and headed for home, what a great Saturday we had, saw so many great cars and Motorcycles, awesome vendors and met super cool people, so until next time.

We head home on the freeway and look forward to the next show in a years time, hope that you can make it as well. Thanks for reading my Blog, hope that you enjoyed it?

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Bonneville Salt Flats part 2

OK, the previous Blog took me so long as the photos were high quality and the download time kicked me right in the Spuds, but, I have a few more photos left but these I took with my phone, so not great clarity, but wanted to share a few more photos of the great times Jennifer and I had at Speed Week in Bonneville.

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Above is this A-Bone Pick up, as we all hung out outside the Nugget Casino and Hotel in the evenings, this was a super place just to have a beer and look at other peoples rides, chew the fat with many people that had traveled from all over the globe and we all had one thing in common and that was of course Speed Week.

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Check out this Pick up, very cool and old school as it had swooping fenders with rear skirts, a lot of work went into this rig and I sure loved the way it sat in the weeds, great job of it.

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Envious of the Hop Up coupe, just take a llok at this really Period machine, I mean sat on cross ply 16 inch Firestone’s on 40 ford steelies and unchopped too, such a treat for me to see this.

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Just when you think you have seen it all, this El Gringo loco truck was just bad ass, very cool, I am sure it bumped around on the tarmac but loved the style of this pick up.

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Studebaker trucks have always been cool, almost Custom from the factory, I see this has old school ribbed bumpers and sporting 2 sets of 1939 tear drop lights at the rear, tight looking rig.

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My God, Drool factor is off the hook, this Brown Suede Oxide three window was the epitome of Hot Rodding, complete with Black-walls and Stainless Hair pins, I just loved looking at this, Schroeder Race track steering box too as you can see the Pittman arm hanging out the side of the cowl.

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I loved this three window as it even had an original 1932 Utah License Plate, what is not to like about this really Nostalgic Hot Rod.

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How about this for a sight for sore eyes and when I say sore eyes, thats from the blinding glare off the Salt Flats today, the Rolling Bones Club drove down and they took their rides onto the Lake and when they came back each night, they pulled in at the Nugget, what a super rare sight it is to see all this Hot Rods in one place and covered in salt too. GULP!

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This Slammed Hemi powered 5 window was popular with many people, the owner was super cool to chat too, as were everybody at this event, something a few events dont have any more and this place was ooozing with Camaraderie.

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Just look at this sight, so much rare tin and not many places you will see as many as this in one place, it was Hot Rod heaven with out a doubt and I enjoyed every minute of it.

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More salt sprinkled here than a bag of English fish and chips and every one of these rides had Salt from the lake on it, it must of taken a week to get it off, sure hope it doesnt start to rust these old bodies apart.

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Just another view of the behind of these great cars , I doubt I shall be lucky enough to see anything like this line up again, unless I travel to the East coast and check the “Rolling Bones” group out.

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If you ever get to Speed week, you will know that the evening meet up is a great way to wind down from the Hot weather on the salt, it was still hot out here in Wendover but a cold brew helped to cool you down.

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Look at this, a gasser Corvette, there is a piece of History right there, who has ever heard of a slow Corvette? So this must be a heart attack to drive about?

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” Any Salt with that Sir” This pick up with Beer Barrel grill got many looks and I saw this quite a bit blapping about at the Lake in 100 degree’s +.

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El Cheapo is right but I bet he had a million dollars worth of fun on the salt?

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This Business coupe was tough as old boots, loved the chop and look how nice and close the rear bumper is too, so much work in this car.

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This long Closed Cab pick up had a nice Black Flatty in it with Dual carbs and 36 Torque tube headers, very cool and traditional.

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Oh my, this was just the coolest Roadster there, loads of Patina, loved the Canvass top, raked and chopped windshield and the commercial lights with those Tractor Firestone tires.

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How could I not take a photo from the other side too, this was in the parking structure of the Nugget Hotel and casino in Wendover, what a great show there every night for speed week.

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Check this ride out and it sits so well too, had more white powder over this than a cocaine addict with a sneeze! Loved the Black steelies and white walls too.

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The Flying Brick seemed to get all over the place, yet hardly any salt on it, I saw this cruising all over the courses of the salt flats too.

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We saw this Model A Roadster on the way up to Wendover when we stopped for some grub just outside salt lake City, I was so surprised that a show car with custom metal flake paint would dare to take their machine on the Salt, but he proved me wrong, great little ride and it was fast too.

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Tough looking 5 window Model A with a small block, cal custom finned covers, Sanderson style headers and a deuce grill with Louvre’d insert was a great attraction, I really liked it.

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5 window parked up was covered in Bonneville’s finest, the roof wasn’t even chopped and thats quite a rare sight theses days, I wasnt a fan of them rims or tires but, each to their own eh?

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This pick up was pretty wicked, loved the Patina and the stance, looked to have radar style 5 spokes and I bet this was a real smooth ride to where ever it drove up or down from.

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I took this with my phone and wasn’t sure if it would come out any good, but am pleasantly suprised with it, this was a fun area to be in, just by the side of the Nugget Casino in Wendover.

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Loved the smooth lines on the Custom Sled, this really did have a lot of work, Nosed, Decked, Frenched, you name it, funny to see the Salt around it like on the rim of a Sangria Glass.

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You can beat a drum, you can beat an egg, you can beat an opposing soccer team, but you cannot beat a traditional 50’s Model A 5 window coupe, such a wicked ride I never tire of seeing.

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All the way from Washington, this Highboy was a classy ride, a really nice 1932 Roadster with the deep Ford Blue gave it a Nostalgic style that is always popular no matter what year we are in.

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Here is its twin Brother, No license plate else you would think this was the same ride, Instrument Dash is cool too, but, great minds think a like eh?

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Now this is right up my alley, Road or Garden path, how can you not like this Roadster, the flatty sounded awesome when it pulled into the Casino parking lot, you cant beat the sound of a flatty.

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Liked this Model A complete with Knock offs and traditional rear tail light , being fenderless makes this A-Bone look a lot taller as well, come in number 46 your time is up!!!!

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I really did like this Roadster, the proportions were right, even the chopped Deuce grill shell was bang on the money and loved the 32 Headlights hanging from the side of the rails.

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If you look behind the cars you can actually see the salt lake, so not that far away from all the action, Wendover is the place to stay if you are coming to Bonneville but, book early or camp out.

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If you get to the Nugget Early, you can grab a good spot to park your ride as this is where the car show starts every night, it goes on all through the night too, always something cool to look at and everyone is super friendly too.

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I was sat down at the start line on the short course, a Customer of mine that I made some Megaphones for in Lawton Oklahoma, said he would be there with his pops, its a big lake so doubt I would find him, well this chap stood next to me said. “Carpy” What the heck, he was only parked right next to us, small world eh?

If you can ever make it out to Utah, do it, its a great place to watch History happen and one of the most friendliest events on the planet, so glad that I had the opportunity to go.

Lee munro’s First run on the Indian.

This spins out at 138 MPH but gives you just an idea of what is going on inside a cage.

Well, this is how 435 MPH looks and feels, bumpy and squirley as hell.

Here is another angle from the cockpit.

89 Year Old grandpa has a go in the coupe, spins out but what a great experience for the chap.

Last Run for speed week, watch until the end as some great camera angles, loved the last bit filmed from the rear.

Spin out, sure gets Gnarly out there.

Double Indian Scout engine Motorcycle.

Lee Munro on the long course gets to 186 MPH

Here we are with a Thruxton R having a go on the salt.

So there you go, a fun time, if you can ever make it to the Salt Flats, just once, you will then totally get the experience that we did and watch History happen right in front of your very eyes.

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It is something I shall never forget, Speed week was always a place I wanted to visit to watch Hot Rods and Motorcycles Race and now that empty box has a huge Tick through it.

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Thanks for following my 2 day Bonneville Blog, many people let me know that they enjoyed the write up and I hope that just looking at the photos made you at least smile today.

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This Brings a close to this chapter but thats not the end, as for me I am so lucky to live in Southern California, as there is a dry lake there called El Mirage thats 90 minutes from me, and will be venturing out there next month, but a fond farewell to Speed week as I now get it and hopefully one day you can get out to this infamous Lake Bed in Bonneville, Utah.

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Join the SCTA and be a part of this great organisation, as well as help Save the Salt too.

http://www.scta-bni.org/

I might see you at El Mirage sometime, if you see me, come and say hello, always great to meet like minded people.

http://www.scta-bni.org/el-mirage.html

Thank you to ALL you Racers, the Teams and their hard working crew, the whole S.C.T.A org, the Bonneville Nationals inc and of course the people I met from my Old boss in Australia and my mate Shug & Ruby May, for getting there and breaking a record, what an awesome deal.

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Hot Rodding started right here and thanks to people like you, it continues to grow and prosper with all your help and participation. Thanks for reading.

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Bonneville Land Speed Racing is a unique sport that consists of very determined people who drive hot rods, roadsters, belly tankers, lakesters, motorcycles, streamliners, and even diesel trucks to "shoot the salt" in a simple quest to have their name added to the list of many record holders. Many years ago, the Bonneville Nationals Inc. (BNI) was formed. It's main focus would be to produce the annual "Bonneville Speed Week". The BNI hosts a spectacular week of racing each year in August, which is the highlight event of the LSR season. Speed Week consists of six days of racing (Sat - Fri), weather and conditions permitting. Entrants come from all over the world to participate in the week long event. Spectators are allowed to walk through the pits, view the vehicles, and talk to the drivers and crew members. Public parking is south of the pit area, on the west side of the race track, outside the cones. Be sure to bring a hat, dark glasses, sunscreen and shade from the sun. Don't forget a camera with lots of film/memory/tapes, because you will want to remember everything you see and hear. Binoculars are also a great idea since the race vehicles are at least 1/4 mile away as they travel down the course. The salt flats are located approximately 88 miles west of Salt Lake City, UT on I-80. The spectacular scenery and racing conditions at Bonneville make it one of the most popular areas in the world for speed. The colors, excitement, people and smells are some of the reasons we race addicts return to the salt, year after year. Better known as "Salt Fever". CATCH IT!

 

 


Bonneville Speed Week was such a Blast

Well, there is a massive tick in the box on my Bucket list, My Girlfriend ” Jennifer” took me to The Bonneville salt Flats in Utah for the 69th Speed week, what a great time we had, I always wanted to know what this place looked and felt like and now I know.

So many Land speed records set and broken here, its the mecca of speed for internal combustion engines thats for certain.
Below is what over 400 Miles an hour is like, jeez, that must be an amazing feeling and scary too at the same time.

Now, this is a long Blog, with tons of photos that I have taken my time to select and add, so this may be a long read? But will be well worth it, it was such a great experience for me and wanted to share it all with you out there in internet land.

Enjoy….

It was great to be pretty close to the Salt Flats as we cruised into Wendover, a somewhat sleepy town but not for Speed week, I could see cars parked all over the place, we drove into the parking lot at the hotel and noticed white powder deposits in odd places, then figured out it was salt, where people got out of their vehicles and stamped their feet to knock the excess salt off before heading into the Hotel.

Although there were salt trails everywhere in the hotel, the reception and Tons of it in the elevator as we took it to the second floor.

We had come prepared and taped down Black Trash Bags on the Carpet of the Hire Car, and when ever we got in the car, we took out boots off and put them in a big plastic bag, saved so much cleaning later when we had to return the car too.

 

So, driving to the Salt Flats itself was only about a 10 minute drive, once you got on the back road, there it was, miles and miles of white Salt and cars driving around like ants on sugar.

My Buddies from Sweden were there, love these guys and are hoping to get into the 200 MPH club with their 5 window 1932 Coupe.

I was totally immersed in History, and you really cannot explain the feeling of excitement and trepidation of setting foot on this world of speed Lake that for so Many years, people have raced against the clock.

The Swedes had it figured, as the salt to me was surprisingly wet and sticky and would fill the bottom of your shoes up super fast.

The weather was Hot but as long as you had your head covered, you could bare the temperature of the Blazing Sun reflecting up from the Salt bed.

Below we see our Swedish Buddies get out at the Short course and ready to run, the salt was bumpy and quite a few of the Racers spun, but the Swedes kept their toe down and got a great run under their belt.

Taking it all in was fun, watching machines getting prepared to watching them take off or get a push off at the start line, hearing the Flathead Motors was awesome too for me.

Watching the bikes were great too, one of these days I shall attempt this .

Below we had an altered Coupe with a Trash can front nose fairing.

There were many different classes at this SCTA event and that made for some great spectating, Bonneville has 4 Courses , so you could see a lot of cool rides and get so close to the action too.

Next up was this Red Roadster, real long gears too, so cool to hear these Motors and unless you are hear, you really cannot feel the excitement as they attempt a World Land Speed record.

So Glad that we got to make it to Bonneville as this truly is a tick in the box and maybe one day you will be here where I stood?

This was us just pulling up at the Short course, the Glare from the Salt is unreal.

There were plenty of break downs and I noticed it was a really bumpy course here.

Everyday we got up early, head brekky and then made our way to the Salt Flats, thats just a few minutes drive from our hotel.
Below is just a snippet of what its like to Run on the Salt.he gets to 228 Miles per hour, Holy Moly its Bumpy!

Jenn and I really enjoyed being on the start line, everyone was so friendly too and a really good way to see maybe the start of a New World record run .

There was a lot to see, I enjoyed watching the Motorcycles take off, its not an easy task and the course was pretty bumpy this year.

I was so surprised how wet and sticky the salt was and also your mind at first was trying to tell you that is snow not salt, but the heat soon woke you up to that realization.

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Here I am at the staging lanes for the first time, such a great experience to be here, for so many years I have wanted to visit Bonneville, and now I am here to witness some all out racing.

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It did take a while to get my head around that we were actually here, hope that at some point in time you lot can make this trip to Utah and experience it first hand.

Another Roadster this time, gets pushed off to start, ran pretty hard too and I am sure that the team were happy to get off ok as this day many either slipped and missed a gear, spun out or shut off.

Another guy getting ready to run but shut the phone off to save the battery, but you can see the expanse of Saly lake where we were standing, this was the short course, but to my right was the rookie course and to my far left was the long track for the 300 MPH Racers.

Meanwhile, here we are at the Long Course staging lanes, great place to hang out and chat to people, its a very friendly place to be if you are into Lakes racing.

At the salt, it is hard to find where you are sometimes, as it all looks the same, although I knew the mountains were to my left when I came in, but its a strange feeling for sure.

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So, here are a few photos that I wanted to share with you that I took, nothing fancy but at least gives you a little insight into the location of this Salt Lake and what goes on there.

There was so much to see, I dont want to bore you with too many shots but there are a few I took that I like and wanted to share, I loved this Studebaker that was parked up in the middle of nowhere, and took a pic as we were driving up to one of the course, it kind of shows you the depth of the left side of the Lake but there is so much more to see, 9 miles of it .

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Below is another shot I thought you may like of a 5 window Coupe, cruising with the Rumble seat open, I bet that sold must of got everywhere and it sticks like glue as well.

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Below:  Towing the Roadster to the staging lanes was a common sight, this ran hard and fast and loved watching these leave the line and then disappear into the distance, with just the roar of the engine and every now and again the radio loudspeaker some where would call out who it was and the time and speed they were hoping to achieve on this Blistering day in Bonneville.

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Another Roadster, this time a 1929 Model A Modified takes to be towed to the staging lanes, this has been around a bit, judging by the Blue Oval Bonneville Decals that are on Display.

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Here was a Roadster thats a show car, I mean its bang on the money, the Hot Rod was absolutely stunning, but I fear that the Roadster now will be showing a few battle scars after the Speed week as Salt really does destroy anything it gets hold of, paint, Bushings, Joints, Springs, Steering etc, it will be an absolute bugger to try and wash off I tell ya.

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A few more of this wicked Roadster to show you it was a really well built rig and from Oregon, sure hope its still in one piece thats for sure, Salt really will knacker parts up big time.

The Sun Beat down but I was surprised how well we coped to be honest, you kind of get used to it, plenty of Sun cream, loads of fluids and wear a hat at all times.

This guy was running around, I bet the chain is totally Bollocksed now he has got back home but- sure he had a blast on this Rocket.

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A few bones must of been rattled whilst driving this Channeled Jalopy, its clean right now but after a few feet there will be Salt all over the ride.

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Here is a super tidy 5 window thats sat on the Salt flats patiently, complete with 39 Tear drops, Original 1933 Plate and from our neck of the woods, this has had a long journey to get here.

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Look at these pair, I mean, they are awesome, I had read about the Roadster a long time ago and noticed it was from British Columbia, this is a well known ride with super cool Kaiser tail lights, the same as I am going to run on My A-Bone, I wanted to chat to the owner but when I came back they had left but great to see this machine in real life, it was killer Diller.

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Next was a hemi 5 window Model A That ran around quite a bit on the Lake whilst we were there, sat really well too with Tri- power set up and Sanderson Lake style headers too.

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We drove about , just like so many others, it was great just taking it all in, loved it all and enjoyed listening to the 400 MPH Stream-liners blasting by on the long course as they screamed along.

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Jenn drove me around as I took a few shots with my camera, but some of the lake was really tore up and almost lost my fillings on the short course staging area, rough as hell. This Model A must of banged along, giving their 2 passengers in the pick up bed quite a ride for sure.

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I also saw this Pheanton driving about all over the lake, they surely got their miles worth out of this 1929 Model A and it looked great with dropped headlight bar and commercial lights.

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I saw so many Hot Rods in the Pitts and we drove about the place just taking in all the atmosphere, people were so friendly and more than happy to show you their vehicles parked up.

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Below is just some of the “Rolling Bones” That made the trip from the East Coast, every morning they were on the lake and every night outside the Nugget Hotel covered in Salt head to toe.

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So many cool rides to see and take in, I am so glad we were able to make it this year, this was for my 55th Birthday and what a present it was from my Girlfriend Jennifer.

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I am not a fan of Bottle Green but- I would of quite Happily driven this Three window all the way home to California with a smile on my face, wind was getting up a bit too as you see the flags moving about, but the breeze was well received on this day as I had been boiling my head off until then.

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We saw a few Motorcycles had ventured from near and Far, from France, Australia, Italy, England, Scotland and even from the Ukraine, that sure is a long way to travel but all rode well too.

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I loved this little 175cc and it did over 100 MPH, what a super achievement that must be, I had a 197cc Villiers years ago  and that wouldn’t pull a cock off a Chocolate Mouse.

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Getting ready for their turn to take it out on the salt, I had to laugh at the amount of U-Hauls vans and trucks that were there, and bet they all said they were going on a fishing trip and not race on the salt. as these vans and trucks would be totally knackerd in a few weeks with all the salt rotting the frame and suspension away.

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The skies were Blue and it must of been great taking your Hot Rod there but now I have been, i would never take my Model A on the Lake bed, it would destroy the shocks real fast.

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Below, was this cool wagon, and a big fan of the dry lakes just by looking at the License plate.

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I like seeing the different vehicles out on the lake bed and this Chevy was cruising all over the place for days, he sure likes driving this Impala.

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This 1929 Closed cab Model A was so nice, it ran like a top and the 4 banger just purred along the lake bed, its a really cool set up and has Nostalgia Patina all over it, Braaap!

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Here is such a sweet Roadster, I love it all, from the Chromed and detailed dropped beam axle, the the Commercial headlights and the Schroder steering set up, a rare machine too.

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So many cool photos I took and didnt want to just have a little blog, as Many of you asked about posting pics of our adventure to Bonneville, I try not to write too much so you can absorb the photos and get an idea of what we were so luck to be able to see whilst we were there in Utah.

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A varied amount of great rides to see today, loved this Channeled pick up the front grill assembly really looked good sat on the deck, It ran around all day and a fun ride for sure.

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Above, the Martin Bros Three window was Blapping around, very cool ride, complete with a 4 inch chop,, Halibrand Q/C and a Nice set of 16 ” Steelies on Black walls, cool Push Bar too.

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Look at that 5 Window, tough as nails, love the stance and the color too, everything on this ride screamed out Yester-Year.

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Custom made top was so cool, way better than the Bop Tops I have seen, he said a lady he knows made it for him and it hugs the Roadster so well, Need one for my Model A one day.

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How about this for a cool shot, Three different models and all very cool in their own way, these guys were super cool and always ready to have a chin wag about their rides here.

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Blue skies all of the time we were there and this was such a big tick in the box of life for me, so stoked that my Girlfriend thought of this as a present for me to go and experience it all.

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You never know what you will see driving about and as the lake is so long, you can drive for miles and check all the cool stuff thats being raced or just enthusiasts rides that drove there.

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The Hop Up Coupe seemed to be all over the Lake and it must of been such a blast to drive this on the Lake of so many World records, I really liked this 5 Window Coupe.

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Check out this Three window, so many really Nostalgic rides that made the trip to Utah for the 69th Speed week here at Bonneville Salt Flats and boy did I enjoy it with Jennifer.

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Not the best of shots but I tell ya, the Lake was really bumpy and, I was only in the pitts, the road to the staging lanes was like the Moon and its hard to take photos moving.

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How much fun is this then, cruising about in your A-Bone with one of your buddies, this must of been such fun and they drove this all over the place, saw it for 4 days blapping about.

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I was blown away when I saw the Marroon Coupe, a Westergard style Kustom and sat on the salt, not bothered that is worth probably a hundred Gee’s, But what a line up here, had to take a photo of these three as they sat there just basking in the Utah Sun.

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If you can handle the heat, there are so many great rides to go and check out, this guy drove his show car down from his shop in Portland Oregon, just to get to the Dry lakes.

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Modified 34 Roadster Being towed out, this thing looked fast just being towed, how crazy must it be at 200 MPH+ in a Roadster?

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This is as close to a Rocket as it comes, the stream liners run over 400 MPH in some classes, these really do sound awesome as they came by flat out on the long course, great noise.

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Miles of Salt to drive on and this Tudor looked timeless, he was all set, even a cooler in the back for cold beverage on the Hot Day in August out here in Bonneville, Utah.

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Yeah, the fenders are dented, the paint is flattened but this Pick up is still going and going strong too all week, Windows open and a real neat push truck to add to the fun here on the salt.

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This was flying along, caught this shot as it deployed its chute at some crazy speed too, many streamliners spun and we did have a bad crash but the driver made it ok lucky enough.

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Great shot of these 2 cool people that brought out their Indian Motorcycle, they are set up, keeping cool and awaiting their time to take this Vintage 2 wheeled Motorcycle out for a run.

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I really loved this Old crow belly Tank Lakester, I had one of these about 6 years ago, these guys were lucky enough to complete it and race it out here like they did in 1949.

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Little Model A pick up parked opposite the long course, so it can sit there and watch some of these Streamliners reach over 400 miles Per hour, its so fast that if you blink, you could miss it.

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You can see on the staging lanes that there is a super low Motorcycle, going to try for its class record and behind that is a wickedly cool Three window Coupe that is all set to go.

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Something for everyone here at Bonneville and how cool was to see these 2 little speedsters parked up, they must of had a blast on the way up to these staging lanes, so cool to see.

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This Model T Roadster was bad to the bone, so well engineered too and quick as hell, I took a little time to check this out and was amazed at the amount of great work that was done.

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This Brown Oxide 5 Window Model A was really tidy and amazingly enough it had room inside it, not many do, so kudos to the builder, really great A-Bone my friend.

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This T- Tanic was a head turner thats for sure and he drove the heck out of it all over the lake, a nice touch is the Propeller on the rear.

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Hurry Up and Wait was the order of the day at many of the starting lines, I have to admit, El Mirage is way better for time to race, there was always a long wait between runs, the drivers must of got so hot waiting to get onto the start line, and when they did they had to wait for what seemed to be an eternity to get their machine fired up and onto the start of a run for a record.

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Come on mate, get it fired up, poor chap had a few issues and these guys pushed it around for a while and in over 100 degree heat must of been exhausting for them but thats how it can go.

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Bugger this I am knackered I can hear him say, there were a few machines that gave up the ghost AND I think a lot of it was due to sat in the staging lanes for way too long and over heated.

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This is a whole new meaning to the saying ” Just look at them T’s and A’s.”

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This Model A pick up got a lot of attention, and rightly so as its so well put together, fully fendered too, loved the frog mouth intake over the gas cap.    “The Flying Brick”

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There is that Hot Model T Roadster on the line, about to get push started, I liked the style and build of this machine, many hours of work spent to get this to this stage, loved it.

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There goes 662 under its own steam as it makes its way down the short course, hoping to make good time on this blistering day, unfortunately the Serrano had no information on this car.

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Great to see a few Motorcycles make their way onto the course, they too must of been so hot in the staging lanes but they waited it out and when time came, they gave it their all.

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Getting under way on the Rookie course, this fella has a go in the 100 degree heat, it is great to see some of these Low, Long and fast Motorcycles making an appearance at speed week.

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When you first see this, it looks like there may be a collision about to happen but the van was waiting to cross whilst this Roadster started its run on the short course, but it sure was slick this day.

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Sat on the start line as another competitor had spun out, the driver cooks, whilst the sun bakes, but this belly Tank is ready to run, but this ran well and sounded awesome on the pipe.

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I never tire of looking at Lakester Belly tanks, these were the first to really get some fast times after ww2 and I get a kick out of seeing these old style machines and hope you do too?

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This 1939 Sloper complete with Moon discs and many Bonneville decals was getting ready for its run of the day, the Sun was Hot and so was the driver inside, a heavy Hauler for sure.

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At last, the Belly Tank now gets the go ahead and the Push truck starts it job by getting this to enough speed so he can dump the clutch and then take off and attempt a good run today.

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A Belly Tank and a Stream liner these 2 scream ” Lake Racers” and to think that back in the late 40’s, many of these belly Tanks were on this very Lake, all competing to be the fastest there.

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Check out this neat Model A Pick up, whats not to like on this Californian ride, it drove around most of the day we were there and was reliable as hell too.

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My Swedish buddies ALL took turns to drive this 5 window Coupe, it is a really reliable Hot Rod and built many years ago by another Swede, so good to see them there on the line.

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Off they go and I am sure they all had a blast, as the Coupe ran pretty hard, although the short course was pretty bumpy and wet in places too so a lot of slipping and sliding some places.

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Looks like a bucket of dough was ploughed into this Red Roadster, cleaner than a cats arse thats for sure, but it aint going to stay that clean once it is taken off that trailer and onto the lake bed.

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There is the old pick up, still bombing about and was so reliable, you think it would over heat in this weather, but it just carried in as Normal, where many cars would not.

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Few More Motorcycles were off and running, always love watching Motorcycles and I am sure that the ride was not as smooth as it looks out there as we drove along the staging lanes and it was so bumpy that at times I almost dropped my camera, some of the Salt lake needs some major work to get it back up to scratch again.

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Going for records is not easy by any ways or means, this chap was going for a three wheeled record on an Old Indian Chief, I loved hearing that engine as it bimbled its way along the course.

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Talk about getting down to the bare bones, this crazy contraption may look mad, but he has a good chance of getting a record with it, if his back holds out on that bumpy course.

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Way off into the distance this Roadster made its way up the short course, the Sun reflecting on its fenders looked cool, I watched this until it went out of site, and thats a fair way I tell you.

 

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This bike struggled along but he kept it at the speed it was meant for as this was the rookie course but I am sure he was smiling all the way, as I would be out on this most famous lake bed.

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As I said, there are Many styles of vehicles here at Bonneville, so something for all to enjoy and the sound of some of these motors as they take off is absolutely mind blowing.

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There goes ole faithfil as it pushes that Black Roadster off the start line and onto the course for the run, loved seeing the Push truck doing its job, probably been doing these for decades here.

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My Swedish buddies all had their runs and all did very well indeed, I hope to see them when they are back at El Mirage as they take this coupe there quite a bit and its great to watch.

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Just off the main Salt Flats was an area that people were driving about on, most probably dreaming about racing on the flats themselves one of these days, but everyone was having fun here.

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We noticed that many people camped right next to the lake bed, you cannot over night park on the salt flats but just off the bed is a lot of land that people park their rides and camp there.

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There is always things to see, even when you head out of the salt flats and back to Wendover to our hotel, the place is a great area where people meet up at the nugget in the evening and they have a car show there, but just here on the outside of the salt flats, these camp grounds have all sorts of rides parked up.

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How cool was this A Bone, Loved the Magnesium’s on the front and a real old 60’s style that made me smile at the gas station as we were about to head out to our hotel in the town.

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Some of the area around the Salt flats and just outside Wendover, were places you could set up camp and be real close to the Salt, this green 5 window looked at home parked by his RV.

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Now thats a clean pick up but a few minutes later it will not be, hope he gets to the Car wash as soon as he gets off the lake, as the Salt is brutal to anything it touches out there.

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Good old 232 from the Rolling Bones gets to blap about, such a great stance this Roadster has and loved everything about this Hot Rod, just so period like time has stood still from the 1940’s.

 

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Look how long this Roadster is, so many different styles, classes and unique builds that you just really never know what you will see next out here, just a super time and people having fun.

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The wind got up, looks like some easy up’s lost their tops as this what ever you want to call it bimbled by, some unusual contraptions here this year but thats what makes it so cool.

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Classic Pick up on a bit of a cruise as the mid day sun starts to move a little, giving much relief to many, as it sure is hot, as the salt reflects the heat all day long here at Bonneville.

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Great Resto Rod having a Blap around the course and taking in the great Mountains of Utah, I cant emphasize enough how bike this lake is as photos do not justify it at all.

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What a wicked red 40 Ford Coupe approaching us, this was a real nice 50’s style machine and I am sure many 40 Fords have driven across this lake in past years in many guises indeed.

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This 57 is a rare find these days and of course in this condition I would be a little worried in a few weeks when the rust starts but probably a life long dream like me to be on the Salt Flats.

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Start ya bugger start, not the sort of place you want to break down on when you have no Hat, no water , no water and of course, no gasoline!!!!

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Every now and again, you get the jaw dropping look, and this is what I got when I saw this driving along the Salt for the first time, how cool is this, a real nice period style that gets driven a lot.

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More old tin on the Lake and I thought I would try and capture all I could as many cannot make it over here and asked for me to take photos, so hope it isnt too boring for you?

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Just taking it all in I bet?

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How wicked was this? So much engineering, great angles, smooth hand made bodywork, surely was a work of art for sure, I didnt see it run unfortunately but I stopped and looked for a while.

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Waaaaay off in the Distance, we noticed that cool Roadster having some professional shots taken, what a great backdrop that is to have a photo of your ride to keep, I bet it came out excellent.

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I took a few shots as we drove along in the car, so glad that we had AC in the vehicle as it was so hot out there, but everyone seemed to handle the temperature fine and carry on as normal.

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One more to just go OOOH and AAARRR to!

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A fantastic machine and boy does it look good in its natural steel patina, against the mountains of Bonneville Salt Flats, and I am glad I got the opportunity to see that Roadster here today.

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I loved the Model A and it certainly got around the salt all the time that we were here, many of the cars came from California, we even parked next to one car that was from Fullerton too.

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  This steel Closed Cab Pick up also ran all over the place and it really did run smooth and sounded great when the headers were un capped.

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Here is a shot from the rear end as it drove out the what looks like the middle of nowhere, these guys must of just had a ball checking out all the cars and bikes that attended this event here.

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I didnt see this Model A make a run, as we were on the Long Course I think when the 5 window too its drive, but this sure is a wicked ride and Ford Blue with a 4 Banger as well, very clean too.

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The Flying Norwegians made a great set of passes in the New Belly tank, such a great bunch of people and well organised too, hope to see them at El Mirage soon too before they fly home.

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Check out these mid 1950’s Gumball Red Cushman Scooters, looks like Father and Son Team, I saw these right out by the short course and they were having a great time on this vintage rides.

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Loved this 28/29 Roadster, Reminded me of the Cover car in the 1952 Edition of Hot Rod magazine, loved everything about this set up and I am sure it was so nice to ride out here?

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Just 2 more rides that were parked up in the Pits behind the Bean Bandits Club, the temperature was getting high this day and the A/C was struggling to keep up in the hire car too.

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One way to destroy a good condition Triumph TR is to drive it on a Lake bed full of salt, I sure hope they got it all off the underside of this Convertible as these are getting hard to find like this.

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Above, this Model T and Trailer seemed to get by with No troubles at the Lake, he was all dialed in and needed nothing as he carried it all in the Box trailer, sorted guy eh?

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     Well, another good idea is you can use your pick up as a work bench to hold some of your parts as you get your race car ready for the next round.

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Now right there is probably the most comfortable seat you will ever find at the salt flats, you are not going to feel any of the bumps on the short course today thats for certain.

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This was a full on show car with every detail you can think of, takes a brave person to take a Vehicle like this onto the Salt thats for sure.

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Model A Coupe and a Studebaker Pick up sit by the Honey Bucket Crapper, think I would rather use the other Bucket under the Coupe.

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This truck was doing great service as all the Honey Buckets seemed to be clogged up.

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This was a Great looking Model A, with recessed firewall and a Hemi wedged in place of the 4 banger, this didnt have any hitch it its git along at all.

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Plenty of places to go and see some cars and bikes, the pitts were a long drive to some of it but so much fun though.

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Few more Rolling Bones out there, gotta love these guys and their Period Hot Rods.

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How Bitchin is this Coupe, I mean it is bang on the money, what a serious piece of kit and loved everything about it.

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Hubba Hubba, you have to love this 3 window Coupe, sits right on the money as well.

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As I said, always something great to see when you are here and boy did we see some cool stuff at Speed Week.

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These Three Amigos were having a Blast.

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We followed this guys back as they drove past our Hotel, but just a fitting end to Bonneville Speed week for me, such a Blast and thanks to my Girlfriend Jennifer for taking me out to this event for my 55th Birthday, something I shall always cherish for sure, and thank you all for reading and looking at my photos and videos of Bonneville, I really did have a tremendous time.

 

 

 

El Mirage Meet was fantastic!!!!

OK, for those of you who don’t know what Dry Lake racing is, its something way back after WW2 that many people came to in California to run their ModelA’s B’s and T’s, a souped up Jalopy that ran as hard as it could to set some sort of record or at least get into the books as a fast Speed trials car, thus HOT RODS were born and as far back as 1948 The SCTA -Southern California Timing Association  was Born.

For all to see and do, these dry lakes, be it El Mirage, Muroc or Harpers etc, was a fun and wide open place to take your Hot Rod out to and go flat out with no cops giving you a ticket.
Oh yeah, and for Motorcycles, man- we have come a long way as well, this chap ran 207 on a back up 205 and is now in the 200MPH club, how cool is that?


Here is some footage below that an SCTA member took of the 2015 meet, just to give you a little insight as to what goes on at the El Mirage dry lake.

Here is some more El Mirage footage for you to watch if you cannot make it to these events.

I never ever tire of this stuff and hope that you enjoy it as much too.

A super day out, I left at 4am and got here just before the Racing started and the temp was nice in the early hours but, soon warmed up.

 


Next up was actual footage I took with my Iphone, so forgive me for audio and not television standard filming, i was enjoying it too much to try too hard.

My mate Steve Ricketts- Fellow Brit- pushing the flying Swede out to the staging lanes. Thats

Håkan Karlen, a very cool Guy indeed and made me feel at home as soon as I arrived to the track at 6am.

Taking it all in as I set up the Eazy up and get cold drinks sorted before it gets too damn hot as it will be over 100 degree’s here in about an hour.

Motorcycles and Hot Rods pass All day, I had Jennifers Radio with me and tuned into the Control tower so i could hear who was racing and what machine they have, as well as what speed they hope to achieve of beat.

Here we are at the Staging lanes at El Mirage. With Steve Rockets and

Håkan Karlen

Staging lanes gets bloody hot and you hope nobody has a break down, or spin out as that can hold things up for a while.

Approaching the Race line, weather had turned up the heat too. Håkan Karlen

I am in the Push truck as the Flying Swede gets back on it in his 5 winchow chopped and channeled coupe. Hoping for a good run.

At then return lane, and a 183 MPH pass, hoping for more but spun a little.Håkan Karlen

Last run of the say, 1927 Model T with later Motor, sounded wicked on the pipe.

It was a superb day and lots to see and do, try and make it to a SCTA event as you may even get hooked into the sport like I am.

Below, Steve Rocketts Pushing the Flying swede Håkan Karlen in the staging lane, I helped push this coupe on the next go around, that is bloody heavy and my legs are still aching from pushing it. LOL!

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Here is Håkan Karlen sat waiting to take his turn to fire the V8 up on this coupe and go into the 180’s.

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The heat was only going up- so trying to stay cool is the main thing at El Mirage and hope that the cross winds do not pick up on the course.

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The good thing about this event is that you can get so close to all the action, everybody is so friendly and more than happy to help, its great commeraderie for sure.

Below, wicked 29 Roadster getting set to take a run on the lake bed.

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Plenty of Motorcycles too this time and another passion of mine as you well know, which has now lit a fire under my arse to maybe build a bike for the Dry lakes.

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I loved some of the Motorcycles and the Rigs that towed them up to the track, check this combo out it was so cool to see.

 

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I really enjoy coming out to the dry lakes, its less than 2 hours from our house and some of the best spectating around.

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People starting their machines up and making sure they are running bang on , is fun to watch for me.

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If you dig Nostalgia, then this event is right up your street, I saw so many cool machines, it took me ages to see it all as the lake is bloody huge if you are walking.

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The bike above must of been going for the record of fastest towed motorcycle, as I saw that bike go up and down all day…behind that Mercedez.

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The good thing about this lake bed is that you can get to so many different areas, the course is marked off well and  Track Marshall’s all over the place to keep you in check.

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The sound, the smell, the heat, the excitement, its all here at El Mirage dry lakes, so try and make a trip out here as it is so much fun.

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Even Indians made a presence and that was great to watch going down the track.

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Above- Supercharged 350cc “Red Baron” Getting set to take his turn at the start line.

Great to see this bike and Old Fella give it the Beanz and belt off down the track, I knew he would get a fair speed up eventually, as i noticed how tiny his Rear sprocket was.

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Another Roadster getting ready for the off, Loved every minute of it here on Sunday.

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1927 Roadster this time, long wheel base and this hauled arse all day, sounded so nice on the pipe at half track.

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Harley with later Metric front end on is getting ready to be removed from trailer and run up the lake bed as fast as it can.

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Seemed to be plenty of Model A’s at the course at this meet, which I love, since I own a 1928 A Bone.

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Plenty going on in the Pits and look how close you can get to see all the action, a fantastic place to watch something you only get to see in magazines these days.

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The Sun was just starting to get warm in the early hours, but by 1pm is was cooking us all where ever you stood.

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Little Harley Davidson Sprint was getting into the action and saw this machine do a few Full passes too.

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This Tiny 2 stroke turned a few heads and I was amazed at how tall the rider was, and secondly, how low the clip on’s were on the forks, new meaning to down in the dirt.

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I loved this cameo Chevy Pick up with his Pit Bike on the front and little Harley racer in the back of the truck.

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Above, this Harley was such a nice set up, plenty of time, sweat and tears must of gone into this little Speedster machine.

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Another 350cc machine in the same class as others, looked to be a tough section to compete with but so much fun to watch and hear as they take off and get tucked into their little bikes.

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Getting ready down the staging lanes for this Harley Davidson Sprint to make some dust and go for a Record.

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WAAAAAAAGHHHH!  WAAAAAAAAAGH!  WAAAAAAAAAAAAAGHHHH!!!

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Getting the final OK from the Marshalls and are all set to go down this Dry lake for all its worth.

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Off he goes and hoping to get a good time as he blasts forward and towards the mountains of El Mirage dry lake.

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Looks like Harley Davidson was well represented for this Sunday meet on the lake.

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British Racing Green Triumph Thruxton bought these 2 to the lake bed.

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This Fella seemed to be taking it all in his stride, and why not, what a fantastic feeling that must be out there man and machine. (Women too)

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Little GS650 Getting scrutinized to make sure all is well, safe and within the parameters of whats allowed for that class of Motorcycle.

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Above, I have no idea what Brand of Motorcycle this is but it sure is stealthy. And below a V Twin has a go up the Course and looks great.

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The weather was really good, it is always Hot but the wind stayed down for the races, and am sure glad I attended this SCTA event at El Mirage.

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You will see many styles of Cars, bikes and Hot Rods at the dry lakes, a lot of work has gone into this Modified special and was fun to watch too.

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Above, the Push truck was very cool, a converted 1949 Studebaker Pick up, always loved the Spudbaker trucks but this is a cool push vehicle.

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Giving it as much right hand as he can and these bikes are fun to watch and have me hooked thats for sure, just got to work out what class I would like to run in.

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Must be such an exhilarating experience to be able to have an opportunity to have a go at this.

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Roadster getting the Push, just love the whole racing experience here at El Mirage and in less than a month I will be in Utah for speed week at Bonneville.

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Now thats low to the ground and even though it is fast, it must feel twice as fast and feel every bump on the track but a whole lot of fun for sure.

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So next time you see an SCTA race posted, see if you can come along as I guarantee you will enjoy the whole experience at one of these meets.

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So glad I got here early to see the pits and races start at 7am as its a lot cooler in the morning and less dust to start off with.

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That is the start and the control tower where you can tune into 88.7 and hear the commentary where ever you have a radio.

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Great photo to me as the Harley heads of, Lovely Roadster sat there on the left and a 1978 CB750 Honda sat far right.

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On the gas and sounding great.. Below, My Royal Enfield as I was parked Mid track, you can just make out a Motorcycle on the track flat out.

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So a super day, I arrived early to stay in the cool check the pits out and get a good spot to park my Van and, get the Royal Enfield out.

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So stoked to make it here, always excited to come to this place and have to pinch myself sometimes to believe I am here.

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Yup, the Brits are here, Both of us are Steve’s too, me and Steve Ricketts hang out in between races.

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My buddy in the 59 Club Eduardo came to visit and brought along a couple of buddies from Finland Timo and his wife.

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Hard to believe that I am here, you can Just make out a Motorcycle giving it the Beanz in the background.

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Staging lanes as we push Hakans Coupe to the start for a 183 run along the Lake bed.

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The Flying Swede ” Hakan Karlens Deuce Coupe is super reliable and consistent, that’s a well built Hot Rod right there.

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Next stop Bonneville Utah for Speed week, will be seeing friends, maybe even wrenching a little too and my girlfriend is taking me out there as this is a life long trip I have wanted as a kid in the UK, and in 23 days, 15 hours and 31 seconds, Jennifer sun and I will be on our way to the Salt flats.

Hope to see some of you there, should be a great time and will blog about that one when I get back.

Thanks for reading, hope you enjoyed this.

 

 

 

 

This Sunday I shall be at El Mirage dry lakes for the SCTA Racing.

Well, this weekend seems to be coming up fast and on Sunday I shall be heading off to El Mirage to check out what is running on the dry lakes there under the sanctioning body of the S.C.T.A.

 

 

Sponsors of the Worlds  FASTEST  Speed Trials

Since 1948 Sanctioned races have been held at this Lake and 61 years later they still run Time trials for world records, for what is a pre-cursor to Bonneville Speed week, this event is a 2 hour drove for me and something I look forward to seeing every time.
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It hot, its dirty and its dusty, but this is exactly how it was back in 1948- Nothing had changed on the lake bed and thats what gives me some of that Nostalgia Tingle when I reflect on who raced out here over the years in Hot Rods and Motorcycles.

Saturday is registration, so I shall be driving up at about 5am as its a 2 hour jaunt from me and I shall take my White Traansit 250 with my Royal Enfield in the back, an Easy Up, generator and a cool box full of fluids, I shall also have a radio to tune into 88.7 so I can hear the control tower informing me who is up on the line and ready to make their pass and attempt to break a record, or- at least give it a real go.

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Hope to see some of you out here, next year I hope to drive up for the weekend in My Model A Roadster as It has a 1940’s look with a 39 Motor and box on 35 rims etc I cant wait to drive that on this infamous Lake bed.
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if you are into Old Hot Rods or Classic, Motorcycles or unique machines that haul their arse as hard as they can in a straight line, then this is the place for you, the sound of a motor flat out is a unique sound, the dust plume or rooster tail as it is mid track is a great visual, you hear the motor and you listen for the commentator to tell you their name and speed, I love it.
Its like its back in 1948 and I am reliving what the “Original Hot Rodders ” did back then just after WW2.
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Come by and say hello as it will be great to meet you, I am a huge fan of dry lakes racing and get a kick out of sitting there watching.
 You can text or call me on 714-598-8392 if you are out there and I will tell you where I am, most probably halfway up the track, Big white Ford Transit 250 and a Red and dusty Royal Enfield.

MOONEYES ANNUAL OPEN DAY WAS A BLAST

Well, going to Norwalk Blvd and stopping outside the famous Open Eyes, has always been a cool thrill for me, so much Hot Rod History in that little Yellow building and here we are again for the huge show that generates so much excitement and popularity, that I hope one day Shige can buy next door and make this an even bigger event.

I have been attending these shows since I moved here from other shores back in 2000 and to go to this show is a superb social event for me, some people I have not seen in years but also some people I have seen the day before, this is a fun family atmosphere with Genuine interest in our “Hobby”- ” Lifestyle”

The sun seemed to be up early today and as I kicked the Royal Enfield into Life, I could feel the beads of sweat running down my face like I was about to be shot out of a Circus cannon into an awaiting Net, that was made of wet paper .  But the Royal Enfield jumped into life, ticking over like a well oiled sewing machine, I clunked the gear shufter into first and it ubruply Grinded into the gear and then it was go time, Revs up, Clutch out, arse down, elbows up and I am now off to Norwalk , with Blues skies and a full gas tank, life seemed to smile at me, as to say. ” Go on son, have a brilliant day.

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Well, as I took the back streets, it took maybe 10 minutes for me to pull into Norwalk Blvd, and slowly but surely I could see Hot Rods, Customs and every kind of style of machine on either side of the road, as I pulled up to Mooneyes, I was ushered into the driveway, where upon I was blasted by the sounds of the 50’s, some fella playing a stack of platters and I was digging the vibe Daddy’O!

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I took my Brain Box off and was Greeted right away By the Manager, Chico, such a genuine bloke that I have known for over 17 years now, he welcomed me and thanked me for attending, how nice is that? Don’t hear that much these days and it goes a long way in my book. ” What book is that I hear you ask?”  The book of Pleasantries!

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Man! Was it hot, not even 10:15 it was Hotter than the inside of a Pizza oven on a Saturday evening.  But I was here and there were a ton of like minded souls there, soaking up the Sun, the Sounds and all the cool vendors and machines that adorned this infamous place for a Custom Couture that I dearly love.

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I left my Brain Bucket sat on my bike, another cool thing with Mooneyes is its a safe place and I love that trust ethic at a show, very rare indeed.

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The next person to take time out of their day was the owner of Mooneyes and a super friend of mine.

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SHIGE SUGANUMA:  What a fantastic Bloke, flys over from Japan to meet all his Customers and genuinely take time to see how you are and ask about how things in the business and life is going, a rare find these days.

With more and more people pouring in, I wanted to get around and try and take a few snaps with my phone, not an easy task as so many people darting about but, I wanted to try and share with you lot what I did today, as many like my Blogs etc.

I walked along to the Vendors and wanted to say hello to my mate Keith Weesner, such a superb artist, always has time to say hello and another bloke I have known over 17 years now and as crazy as I into Hot Rods and Art, maybe even more so.

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So many rides parked all over the place, it was fun walking around, talking to people and checking the latest machines out.

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I bumped into my mate Big Dan from the Dynotones, these guys are the best 60’s Surf, Instrumental band anywhere, they rock it 24/7, try and ctah them at one of their gigs.

http://www.dynotones.com/

I saw so many rides there today, everything from Nostalgic Hot Rods, to Metal-flake Kustoms, it was great to see other rides that I have never laid my eyes upon and everybody seemed to be having fun.

 

If you are ever in Sunny So Cal, check Mooneyes out, they have all you need for your ride and what a historic trip down memory Lane you will have.

http://www.mooneyesusa.com/

 

As the day got hotter, it was time for me to do another quick walk about and say high to friends and cross the road to see vehicles that hugged the kerbside and boy was there some neat rides there.

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So, here is to the next event, this show is on until about 3-4 pm so go check it out, so easy to get to off the 5 freeway for Cars and Bikes, this has it all.

Check out the workshop too.

Hope to bump into you at this event next year, have a great weekend all of you.

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BONNEVILLE SALT FLATS SPEED WEEK

Ever since I was a teenager, I was intrigued with the American Hot Rod, I loved the Country, the Lifestyle and the possibilities you could achieve with hard work and, determination.

Back in the UK I even had a Hot Rod, a 1932 Three Window Coupe, chopped and channeled, this Hot Rod was a Nostalgic style that reflected what I was into.

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Then in 1997 I left the shores of the British Isles, jumping on a Big Silver Bird to the other side of the world and landed in Australia, another Hot Rod Country that really loves mechanical machines and anything that moves on 2 and four wheels.

 

I built a 58 Work truck and had a 29 Roadster that I was finishing, but things in life happen and had to sell both but sure was a cool look.

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In Melbourne I worked for Norm Hardinge of Aussie desert Cooler, helping him with the manufacture of Radiators for many Hot Rod and Customs cars, this took me all over Victoria and NSW and never was there a sad time, they are big Hot Rodders and the only way of topping that was to move to the United States of America, the Land I dreamed of living in from Middle school.

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Feb 2000 I arrived in Southern California and 17 years later here I am and love it, I now own a period style 1928 Model A Roadster, complete with a 1939 Flathead V8, just a little 221ci Mill thats fun for me and hope to add rare speed equipment later on.

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Well, in 2000 I was lucky enough to head to Muroc Dry lakes with a bunch of Hot Rodding Buddies and was fortunate enough to drive Drew Pietsch’s ’28-’29 Dodge Roadster around this famous dry lake, where even the Space shuttle would land if it was too windy in Florida.

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So, coming up in August is Speed Week at Bonneville Salt Flats, a place that I have only dreamed about going to and watching all sorts of Hot Rods and Motorcycles giving their all to try and acquire a record of speed over a timed area. And as it will be my 55th Birthday, My Girlfriend Jennifer Sun is taking us out there to experience the life, racing on the salt.

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Obviously I am spectating but who knows, the bug may catch me and I will have a go on a bike or car if I can get enough sponsors, always a cool thing to try.

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So, I am so looking forward to that and if ANY of you are attending and see a Sun Burnt Limey walking around with a Gorgeous Hawaiian Girlfriend, then that’s will be me, come and say hello.

on July 16th SUNDAY at: El Mirage Dry Lake 20471 Mountain View Rd Adelanto, CA

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I will Also be at El Mirage next weekend and riding my Red Royal Enfield about ,if ya fancy a little blap on it let me know, so if ya around, just let me know as I will be there early in the morning on Sunday, until the evening about 5pm and will be heading home. it is a superb place to spectate and watch the racing, as well as being able to get close to the start line and watch them go, I love it, some speeds in excess of 200 MPH too.

Drop me a text on 714-598-8392 if ya gonna be up there, I shall have an easy up and generator and a couple of chairs as I like to park half track and watch the bikes and Hot Rods run, then jump on the Motorcycle and go to other parts of the track. So i can see the Start and the finish and see them flat out.

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Here is a little bit of History for you, but I am sure that you are familiar with it. I hope you enjoy this little Blog I have created today.

– This was filmed in September, 1932 at the Bonneville Salt Flats. Ab Jenkins is testing the new, 1932 Pierce Arrow 462 cubic inch V-12 in a 24-hour endurance run. His average speed was 112.91 mph.

For years the Bonneville Salt Flats was the home to land speed record attempts but these were for elite drivers like Sir Malcolm Campbell. After World War Two, Hot Rodders wanted to test their metal on the salt but officials balked at allowing these people they saw as Juvenile Delinquents defile their Salt Flats.

Silent 8mm but great footage none the less.